It was a strategy. A risky one, as Finn kept reminding him, but the one Alec chose. He was convinced he could limit the damage.
But the sex.
Alec rubbed the heel of his hand over his chest. He hadn’t been thinking about tactics last night. That’s what scared the shit out of him.
“Boss, explain this to me.” She sat down in the chair across from him. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“There have been problems in other businesses. I’ve heard about security breaches in systems that everyone agreed were impenetrable.”
Her shoulders fell and some of the frustration whirling around her, tightening her body language, disappeared. “So, this is a healthy case of paranoia?”
With his reputation, Alec was pretty sure he could sell that. But the compounding of lie upon lie to someone he actually trusted sliced through him. Maybe he let people in more than he thought, because this deceit had him fighting not to shift around in his chair. “What else would it be?”
“I get the sense something happened, something you’re not sharing.”
He came so close to telling her right then, to letting her into the small circle. Seth had flipped his nuts over the fact Tony knew. Normally Alec wouldn’t give a shit about that, but if there was any possibility someone at Drummond authorized a fake shipment to Svalbard, chances were someone in tech knew about it. Alec refused to believe Pam would betray him, but she had people working for her. People who might be lured by the kind of money offered up for important intel.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m happy to insist that you accompany Gaige any time he touches any equipment in the building.” That would solve some of Alec’s problems. He couldn’t run a company and follow Gaige around like a puppy. And God knew the man refused to sit still for more than twenty minutes at a time.
Let Pam watch over him. She would make sure Gaige didn’t mess around in their internal systems.
“That would be an improvement over the current situation, yes,” she said.
She didn’t mince words, so neither did he. “This will be over soon and everything will get back to normal.”
Alec wanted that to be true but something inside him shifted as he said the words. Instead of celebrating being rid of Seth and his minions, an odd ache ran through Alec. He ignored it, because he had to ignore it.
She nodded. “One question.”
“Shoot.”
She winced, as if she was searching her mind for the right words. “What makes you trust Gaige at all?”
That was easy. “I don’t.”
And that was a fucking shame.
—
Gaige had tried three times during the day to get into the server room. Every attempt failed. Apparently Alec trained his people well because any time he got near the door a paranoid employee would appear out of nowhere and start asking questions.
Pam informed him that she would be escorting him everywhere but the bathroom from now on, which was just great. Gaige sensed Alec’s hand behind that one.
The problem was the internal video surveillance. The virus he’d placed in the telecom system during his brief time in that conference room gave him partial access. He was working on gaining the rest, which meant working at his desk in code or risk tempting fate and having Pam come hunting to find him. After her babysitting speech, she’d come to his desk four times to check on him. Nothing subtle about that.
Having to guard against her and the keystroke program Alec set up on the computers made progress tough. Gaige was ready to hand the burner phone to Alec and tell him to fucking call Seth and forget the middle man in their cat-and-mouse game.
Soon, but not yet.
He’d make one last attempt to monitor Alec’s systems behind his back, though he was losing the stomach for it. Blame it on the hand job, on wanting to blow that up into more with Alec tonight, but skulking around the Drummond offices no longer intrigued him in even the usual can-I-break-it ego sort of way.
The thrill of that chase didn’t hit him this time. His thrills came from Alec and what he wanted to do with Alec. How he wanted to test out all those rumors about Alec demanding control in bed.
All of that battled with the very real worry that he’d blow this job if he made one wrong move, and then head off to jail. He had so little left in his life that he didn’t take his freedom, no matter how fleeting and on the edge it was, for granted.
Seth dangled a criminal charge over Gaige’s head. Forget that he was innocent and Seth knew that. This game wasn’t fair, and when the dust settled he was the only one who truly risked being screwed.
No matter how much sex they had, how much smartass banter, Alec would never get that. He was rich and born into wealth. He’d battled his family’s business’s bankruptcy. Big fucking deal. Unless Seth had a fake federal charge to hang over him, Alec would always have his reputation and opportunities. That’s how being rich worked.
Gaige stopped prowling around the first floor of Alec’s house and listened for any noise. Alec had stepped into the shower a minute ago and Gaige didn’t know what else would happen between them tonight, but he knew he had to take care of this one thing. Satisfy Seth’s demand for information and then, maybe, after a little time passed, warn Alec. Gaige knew it would be smartest to do that as he left town. Let Alec’s anger run to Seth and not him. But, damn, he hated being in on the setup at all.
He could hear the water running and imagined the spray hitting Alec’s body.
Fuck me.
He had to focus. A swift tour around the house should do it. Seth had asked Gaige to plant a bug in here but that was never going to happen. Let Seth do his own dirty work there. But Gaige did need a jump drive and a peek into Alec’s home system might help.
He took the first step toward Alec’s closet, thinking to check there first then get as far away from the bedroom and bathroom as possible. He already knew Alec didn’t have a safe over by his desk. The bedroom area was the next logical place.
Conducting a quick scan, he noticed a box on the wall, likely the security system’s main panel. His gaze zipped back to the chest of drawers. Specifically, to the bottom two. The perfect place for a safe.
Just as he crossed the threshold to the walk-in closet that was bigger than most studio apartments and contained more furniture, including shelves and drawers and a chair, a wave of nausea hit him. It rushed up his throat, shocking him into stopping.
He put a hand against the doorjamb for balance. With his head dropped low, he inhaled. “Fuck me.”
“Well, that was the plan until this.”
At the sound of Alec’s voice, Gaige whipped around. His stomach flipped over and his head spun, but he held it together. Seeing Alec standing there wiped away the dizziness. Alec’s blank expression and the dullness in his eyes touched off a different feeling. Gaige couldn’t name it but the air grew thick, almost suffocating.
“I came in here for a shirt and—”
“Save it.” Alec took a step forward until he stood right in front of Gaige. “You’re determined to push me.”
“This is a misunderstanding.” But Gaige knew Alec didn’t want to be soothed. He wasn’t ready to buy bullshit.
“It’s Seth. This move reeks of desperation.” Alec shrugged. “It has Seth’s fingerprints all over it. He sent you in here, probably made a new threat of some sort.”
Gaige noticed for the first time that Alec still wore his dress pants. The only sign he’d started his shower was the way he’d unbuttoned his shirt at the top. Gaige listened for the shower and realized the water had stopped.
The whole thing had been a setup. Alec had faked being in the shower to draw him out.
“Is it possible you’re paranoid?” he asked, even though Alec was smart to be wary.
“You know what I am, Gaige?” Alec shoved Gaige against the wall and held him there with a hand on the center of his chest. Alec’s mouth hovered right there.
Gaige tried not to stare at his
lips. Tried and failed. “Tell me.”
“Tired of the games.” Alec moved in even closer.
Their arms touched. Gaige’s sneakers pressed against the sides of Alec’s bare feet.
“If you have a problem with Seth, take it up with him.”
“You’re my problem.” Alec trailed his hand down Gaige’s chest then let it fall away. “The next time I find you in here I’m going to assume you want a good hard fucking.”
The words didn’t make sense. Gaige expected something…anything else. Then the adrenaline started pumping through him. He had to force his heart to slow to be able to get the words out. “What if that’s exactly what I want?”
Alec stepped back. “Then you need to decide who you’re going to be loyal to from now on, me or Seth.”
Talk about playing games. “What?”
“Pick a side.”
The words snapped through Gaige. He shot from revved and ready to furious. “That’s some manipulative shit right there.”
“That’s fair.”
Only Alec would think that was an appropriate answer. “And?”
Alec smiled. “Good night, Gaige.”
—
Alec was still pissed off the next morning. He and Gaige hadn’t said two words to each other since Gaige clomped his way up the stairs last night.
Somehow Alec had managed to keep his voice steady and clear as he dropped his ultimatum. His insides shook but he got it out. Didn’t back down. Need had churned in his gut. His body shouted for him to put his ego aside and follow Gaige up those steps.
That potential loss of control was the only thing that stopped him. Jacking off in the shower took care of the rest.
He refused to be ruled by sex. And that’s all this was. All it could be, but it could be that.
—
Gaige walked into Alec’s office with Tony following right behind. The smile on Tony’s face suggested incoming trouble. Alec leaned back in his chair and waited.
Gaige didn’t stop until he stood on the other side of the desk. “I get a bathroom escort now?”
That’s what this was about? “Trust has to be earned.”
“Right.” Gaige dropped a phone on the desk. “Seth uses this to contact me. Now it’s yours.”
Alec lowered the front of his chair again and sat up straight. He wanted to reach for the phone and scan through any messages, but he ignored the energy pounding him and concentrated on the man standing there instead. “Where was it?”
“Toilet,” Tony called out from across the room. “He had it in a bag to keep it dry.”
Alec’s gaze switched back to Gaige. “Why now?”
“I’m picking a fucking side.”
Relief raced through Alec. He had to force his body to stay still. “Me.”
“No.” Gaige practically shouted the answer. “Not Seth.”
“Is there a difference?”
“You know there is.” Gaige leaned down with his palms balanced on the edge of the desk. “Don’t ever try to use sex to manipulate me again.”
Alec tried to read the vibration in Gaige’s voice. “Don’t sneak around my office or my home.”
“You just don’t give an inch.”
Alec pressed the button on the phone, prepared to scroll through the messages. The screen was blank. “You wiped it.”
Gaige smiled. “You didn’t think I was going to make it that easy, did you?”
He pushed away from the desk and stood up. With a quick glance at Tony, Gaige walked out of the room and back to his desk outside in the hall.
Alec waited for a rush of anger to hit him. He’d been outplayed on this. Not exactly a situation he took well. But fury didn’t hit him. All he could think was that Gaige opened the door to something happening between them. Alec intended to walk through.
“That was interesting,” Tony said in a low voice.
Alec held up the phone. “What do you think the chances are he left any sort of road map on this thing?”
Tony laughed. “Honestly? Zero.”
That was Alec’s sense as well. “Score one for Gaige.”
“You’re going to let him win?”
“This round.” But Alec intended to win the rest.
Chapter 11
Gaige took another bite of whatever Alec ordered for them for dinner and fought off a groan of pleasure. Fancy chandeliers, brown leather chairs, crisp white napkins. It was no wonder a place that looked this refined and classy served great food. Gaige could only assume this was Alec’s strange way of apologizing, or at least saying they were good…for now.
The shock of the night came earlier when Alec had detoured from the route home and brought them here instead. In public. Just the two of them sitting in a cozy restaurant filled with couples. One where everyone spoke German except him.
It was almost like a date, which Gaige thought about pointing out until he noticed Alec sitting across from him running his fingers over the stem of his glass. Gaige couldn’t figure out if the stack of files on the corner of Alec’s desk tugged at his concentration or something else. Maybe the phone from Seth. The answer could be anything, but right now Gaige wanted to concentrate on eating.
Gaige put down his fork and reached for his ice water. “You took my offer seriously the other night. Not last night when we battled in the closet, but the other one.”
As soon as Gaige spoke, Alec lifted his head and met his gaze. Darkness hovered there but quickly blinked out. “You mean the food-for-sex thing? It sounded like a challenge. Consider this me accepting it.”
Better. The more Alec talked, the stronger his voice grew and the coldness that surrounded him faded. Gaige preferred this Alec. This version shot back responses that sounded like jokes every now and then. He was less clenched and poised for battle. If he smiled with a bit more frequency Gaige might spend a lot more time on his knees.
Speaking of which…“It only took cashews to win me over before.”
They’d derailed last night. Picked fighting and posturing for control over bed. It made sense at the time. Gaige had been manipulated by a master. His former business partner and boyfriend had used him, then put a target on his back for Seth to find. Every emotion got twisted. Every feeling destroyed.
Hearing Alec offer a sex-for-information bribe had taken him back to that dark place. This morning he made a choice. A night of not sleeping helped. Seth’s power came from dragging him into the middle. Gaige took himself back out again.
Alec let go of his glass and leaned forward with his elbows on the arms of the chair. “Are you telling me you’re easy?”
The clink of silverware and low rumble of conversation around the room echoed in Gaige’s head. He was pretty sure he’d daydreamed his way through a bit of conversation, but he liked the direction this had taken.
The waitstaff zipped by and a nearby couple drank champagne. Through it all Gaige kept his focus on Alec. Answered him honestly. “For some men.”
“That’s a fascinating comment.”
One that could get them in trouble since they were in public. In an intimate restaurant with about a dozen tables and what appeared to be a locked front door that allowed only a few to enter, and even then through a guard of sorts. But they were out of the office and away from the house, and that’s what mattered to Gaige. He didn’t want Alec to shut down again. This lighter version, the one that lowered his guard and engaged in actual conversation, appealed to Gaige. Made him think last night had not been a mistake.
“What am I eating?” Not being able to read the menu annoyed him but that nuisance did allow him to hear Alec speak German. “You ordering for me was pretty hot, by the way.”
“Schweinebraten mit knödel.”
Yeah, Gaige still had no idea. “Even hotter. Translation?”
“Roast pork with dumplings.”
“Not as sexy in English but still delicious.” Gaige refused to let the food talk kill the mood. Not that answer or the man at the bar who kept staring at Ale
c. The same one who looked two seconds away from pouncing if Alec glanced in his direction.
Gaige pretended not to notice the open flirting since it ran only one way. Alec hadn’t so much as smiled at the guy.
Alec moved his plate closer to the middle of the table and away from him. “The dish is a specialty here.”
“This is your club.” Gaige continued to eat, knowing Alec could insist they leave at any moment.
“I think you’re really asking a question.”
Gaige looked around the room, though he didn’t have to. He’d memorized the room just in case. Once Seth and his group had started throwing the word “espionage” around, Gaige had stayed alert and ready. He checked out every room he walked into, certain he might need to make a quick escape. Call it habit, but tonight was no different.
“There are less than fifteen tables in here, everyone knows you and there’s a bouncer at the door.” It was that last part that stuck out to Gaige. He didn’t know much about Munich but he doubted most restaurants operated that way.
“It’s a private supper club and I’m a member.”
That sounded like code. Or a lie. Gaige had no idea the real purpose but to him it sounded like some get-together spot for rich people. “But you never eat.”
“I am human, you know.”
Something in Alec’s tone made Gaige do a double take. “So is this where you, well, yeah…”
This time Alec shot Gaige a full smile. “Yes? Go on.”
The flash of warmth had Gaige fighting for breath. He swallowed the piece of meat caught in his throat and struggled to keep his voice even. “You know what I’m asking. Is this where you find men?”
It made sense. He didn’t strike Gaige as the type to hang out in bars or hit on men in the office. Alec had a sex drive. Gaige had experienced it up close and personal. That meant he had to satiate the need somewhere.
The more Gaige looked around the expensive dining room, the more he thought this might be the place Alec went to when he needed to be just Alec. Not the billionaire. Not the guy with all the responsibility. Not the guy who craved privacy above all else.
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